In the 1890s, farmers and agricultural works began establishing concentrated settlements in the Imperial Valley. These settlements were further developed because of the National Irrigation project which distributed water from the Colorado River to farms in the area. The irrigation project was led by the California Development Company, a company that was created by the businessmen of the settlement towns, under the Imperial Water Companies. The project enountered major obstacles since it required control of the Colorado River, but it went ahead after much back and forth with the U.S. Government thanks to the help of Sir Don. Celso Vega, Military Chief of Police of the Northern District of Baja California. He brought 200 men with him to the Colorado River to “protect” the irrigation project on site. This allowed farms, ranches, and other businesses to develop a trading relationship with Mexico, specifically between Calexico and Mexicali on the US-Mexico border. As a form of thanks for helping with the irrigation project and the development of the Imperial Valley settlements, Willis George Emerson, one of the most influential businessmen in the valley, gifted Sir. Don Celso Vega this scrapbook of the towns, farms, ranches, and businesses that benefited from the irrigation.